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Topic: Looking to Buy (Read 555 times)

Hi All,I currently own a 2010 Transalp, it does everything I need it to and was not considering changing it...until I saw a particular Versys 1000 for sale at a good price!

I will be contacting the dealer tomorrow to find out how much they'll offer me in part exchange. In the mean time, can you offer me some advice what to look out for on the Versys?

It is a 2011/12 model with 35,000 miles on it. It has the Akropovic exhaust, Airflow screen, Daytona heated grips. What extras were available at the time, so that I can work out what it may have? Are there common faults I should know about?

Hi Steve,i have a MK1 on a 13 plate,in white,and love it to bits ..suppose,what are you doing??..touring,commuting,or a sunday blaster?..it will do all three, no probs... but you can add no end of whizzy bits!!. If i start at the front,i have...front fender extender,rad guard,engine bars,with LED spotlights mounted, Denali soundbomb horn, sw mototech handguards,oxford heated grips, bagster tank cover, just recently purchased, ultimate addons, wire harness for mobile,sat nav,etc... have a TomTom rider mounted above clocks...Thats about it,....no issues, in 22k miles, i do 52 miles a day, commuting...i change oil and filter every year, its a cracking Bike, pillions love the seat...and its got plenty,when you want it,too play on ya own......Hope that helps.....

Thanks for the reply keepthespirit. I should have said, I use the Transalp for commuting, 20 miles each way all year round. I even fit winter (Mud & Snow rated) tyres to it for extra safety & confidence!

The trouble I have, is that at 6'2" (34" inside leg), I can only ride it for about 30-45 minutes, then my backside/upper left leg get really uncomfortable. It doesn't matter if I am wearing my jeans under my bike gear or not. Some days its worse than others, but over 45 minutes and I'm guaranteed to looking for the shorted route home. My commute is within this period, which is why I could easily keep it, but it doesn't give me any options for touring.

Thanks for the reply keepthespirit. I should have said, I use the Transalp for commuting, 20 miles each way all year round. I even fit winter (Mud & Snow rated) tyres to it for extra safety & confidence!

The trouble I have, is that at 6'2" (34" inside leg), I can only ride it for about 30-45 minutes, then my backside/upper left leg get really uncomfortable. It doesn't matter if I am wearing my jeans under my bike gear or not. Some days its worse than others, but over 45 minutes and I'm guaranteed to looking for the shorted route home. My commute is within this period, which is why I could easily keep it, but it doesn't give me any options for touring.

Cheers

if you're 6'2", then the Versys will be a perfect fit for you. As has already been said, it will do all you want it to do and then do some more. I have a 2012 Versys which I bought with 2,300 miles on it when it was 18 months old. I use it mainly for touring and have ridden it to and through France, Holland, Germany, Poland, Swedn and Denmarks so far, in fact, it has done more miles on the Continent than in UK. Mine is the GT which came with 3 box colour matched luggage. One of the first things I did was to fit a centre stand. I have since fitted a rad guard, front mudguard extender, narrower Renthal bars, Touratech hand guards, Oxford heated grips, Airflow screen, Garmn sat nav and it runs quite nicely thank you on Michelin PR4s come rain, sun, frost and even some snow too!I think I am correct in saying there are no known faults and there have been no recalls either.

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Titty bars aren't bad if you enjoy being sexually aroused without an outlet. Oh, and they're also convenient if you're in the mood for paying double the normal price for a drink. If I'm in the mood to be treated poorly while giving up large amounts of cash, I visit a BMW dealership

to the forum Steve. The big V should be a perfect fit for a man of your height. As others have said to Versys is bomb proof, (Much like the Transalp), and as reliable as an axe. But you would find the Versys a bit less supple than your squidgy Honda. But the 4 cylinders of the Kawasaki, will make your bike feel like an old tractor.

You mention the bike having an aftermarket exhaust, but does the original one come with it . I would say that the only thing that you would need as a must have, is a Radiator guard, there is a lot of exposed metal just begging to bit hit by a stone.

Have you ridden the bike , if not a test ride may tell you all that you need to know. Also you forgot to mention how much the dealer wants for the Versys!!!!. There are a lot of absolutely mint big Vs about, and some of them are not a great deal of money. Good luck Geoff.

I shall of course request a test ride of at least an hour to ensure I can ride it with no discomfort. Like I say, I wasn't even looking for a new bike until a casual late night browse on Autotrader last night. The dealer is closed today, so will tap them up tomorrow.

I'll ask about the OEM exhaust, but would assume it was not included. Any reason you ask this? The Akropovic would be road legal wouldn't it? For MOT purposes I mean?

They are asking £3500, dropped from £4500. I guess they don't want a 'high mileage' bike in their showroom! My Transalp has 44,000 on it, still going strong, but starting to age enough to need spending money on it. It'll all depend on what they offer for mine. Just had to replace a car and the Mrs will go spare if I don't get a bargain!

Let us know if you seal the deal on the bike you are considering. Good luck. You might also check out the Mark2 (2015 forward), which has several improvements, most notably an improved clutch design with a softer pull and a slipper mechanism. But we've got a jillion Mk1 riders here who are completely satisfied customers and don't see any justification in switching to the newer model.

You can mod these bikes 'til the cows come home. My '15 has only a radiator guard, a cammed throttle tube, Grip Puppies and an Airflow screen and for my use it wants for nothing. For others, a single spaced page will hardly list all the goodies they have bolted on. It's up to you. The Akro can is shaving 7 or 8 lbs off the weight and doing the job, no reason to re-fit the stock exhaust.

I stand 6'3" tall and the ergo layout is fantastic for me, save for the stock windscreen, which was worse than no screen at all. The Airflow isn't absolutely perfect but it's good enough for gub'mint work...